Term 3 Week 8 Monday 28th August 2023
- Our Weekly Prayer
- From the Principal
- Key dates for the Diary
- End of year dates
- Sacrament of Reconciliation
- Father's Day and Grandparent's Day
- 3/4 Hooptime
- Old Computers for Sale
- PAM, Schoolzine and SIMON
- First Aid Alerts
- Sign in/ Sign out
- Discovery Day at MRC
- Homework at St Colman's
- Weekly Award Winners
- Term 3 Classroom Information
- Playgroup at St Colman's
- Lunch Orders
- St. Colman's Enrolments
- Birthday Wishes
- Footy Tipping
- School Advisory Council
- Our Diocesan Community
- St. Colman's School is a Child Safe Community
- Our Lady of Mercy Parish Newsletter
- Out of School Care
- School Holiday Program at Camperdown
- NCCD
- Community News
- MRC 50th Jubilee Celebrations
- Parent Event in Warrnambool
- Covid Information
Our Weekly Prayer
Blessed…..
A very familiar piece of scripture for many Christians is The Beatitudes. In Matthew 5:1-12, Jesus invites his followers to reflect upon what 'blessed' means.
Jim Quillinan explores this in the reflection below, Along the track - Blessed.
Invitation to prayer
Every action of ours is blessed;
Every action a wonder
A privilege:
When we see
When we speak
When we hear
When we sing
When we love;
When we remember
When we hope
When we see possibilities
For this we give thanks
Amen
Morwood, M (2018) Prayers for Progressive Christians Kelmor Publications: Sunbury p.180
From the Principal
Dear St Colman's community,
Welcome to this week's newsletter.
As I read the above reflection on the Beatitudes it reminded me to reflect more regularly on the many blessings I have in my life, in particular how blessed I am to be part of such a wonderful school community.
I love the work of The Resilience Project and the following information is from their website.
Gratitude is the practice of being thankful for and focusing on what we have in our lives, not what we don’t. It has been shown to have numerous benefits for our mental and physical health, including:
- Less likely to get sick
- Higher levels of energy
- Feel happier
- More enthusiastic, focussed, disciplined and optimistic
- Better quality sleep
- Can lower levels of anxiety/ depression
When we are feeling down or overwhelmed, it can be easy to get caught up in negative thoughts and emotions. By focusing on the things we are grateful for, however, we can shift our attention away from these negative thoughts and towards a more positive outlook.
So this week, as the days start to get more and more Spring-like, I am going to make a concerted effort to recognise those small miracles that happen here at school each day. The joy in a child’s laughter, the support and kindness shown by staff, students and their families and the many opportunities to learn and grow!
Read on to find out what else is happening in our school community. It is always a good idea to familiarise yourself with the key dates section of the newsletter. Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions, concerns or suggestions you may have.
Have a great week.
Kind regards,
Janet
Key dates for the Diary
Term 3
Monday 28th August- Staff online Sounds Write training- week 6
- Middle students to visit Aberlea
Friday 1st September- Father's Day Breakfast from 7:30am
Wednesday 6th September- Sacrament of Reconciliation
12th and 13th September - Year 3/4 Camp to Sovereign Hill
Friday 15th September- Last day of Term 3- Footy Colours Day
Term 4 Commences on Monday 2nd October
Friday 15th December- Final day for students
2023 Meals on Wheels Roster
Week beginning; 30th October
School Closure Dates 2023
Term 4: Friday 10th November (Catholic Social Teaching)
School Camps 2023
Year 3/4 Camp to Sovereign Hill September 12th and 13th
Year 5/6 Camp to Melbourne November 22-24
End of year dates
As we move to the latter weeks of Term 3 and approach Spring, we wanted to confirm some important dates for our school community so that you can plan ahead as needed.
End of 2023 School Year key dates
- The last day of school for students in 2023 will be Friday 15th December 2023 at 3:15pm
- Staff conclude on Monday 18th December, this is a staff meeting day and no student supervision is available.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Some of our students, along with the support of their families, are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time next Wednesday at St. Thomas’ Church, Terang at 7pm. Receiving this Sacrament is a key element of a child’s journey into being a full member of the Catholic community and it is essential to complete the act of asking for forgiveness before they receive the First Eucharist later in the year. This Sacrament highlights the importance of becoming sensitive to right and wrong and making responsible choices from an early age. We offer our ongoing support and prayers to all of our Sacramental candidates.
Father's Day and Grandparent's Day
This Friday, we will be celebrating Father's Day with a school breakfast. Our students are able to invite their dads or another special person to join us at school for a cooked breakfast starting at 7:30.
We are also excited to welcome Grandparents into our school when we celebrate Grandparent's Day on Tuesday October 24th.
3/4 Hooptime
The Grade 3/4 Rookie teams did a fantastic job in representing themselves and our school last Friday. I have been extremely proud of the way the students have conducted themselves. Both teams demonstrated great respect and sportmanship and one team managed to come away from the day without a loss. Thanks again to Rosie O'Connor for coaching and to Brianna Barr for all of her organisation and to her children Mason and Pippa for umpiring.
Old Computers for Sale
Our successful fundraising efforts this year have enabled us to purchase 55 new Chromebooks for our students. We will offer the 'good quality' old computers up for sale for $50 each. All computers will have current data wiped from them and they will be restored to factory settings prior to being sold.
If you would like to purchase a second hand laptop, please contact the office.
PAM, Schoolzine and SIMON
Recently, we have had several parents inform us that they have had difficulty accessing PAM. As this is a major part of home/school communication it is very important that you have access to this platform. I urge you to come into school and Jane and I will help sort out any issues you may have with PAM, SIMON or the Schoolzine App.
We thank all families who responded to our survey that was sent to you all last week via Schoolzine. If you haven't done so yet, we ask you to respond ASAP so that we can determine who is and who isn't receiving these messages.
First Aid Alerts
One of the ways that we will now be using PAM is to alert parents when their child has received first aid treatment here at school. We will create a Sick Pass on SIMON detailing the incident and the treatment received and the parent(s) linked to the PAM account will receive an email notification providing them a report of the incident. This is another compelling reason to ensure your PAM account is set up properly.
Sign in/ Sign out
As part of our obligation to manage child safety at our school, we have introduced Sign in and Sign out protocols. When parents are taking their child out of school early they will be required to enter the school via the office and sign their child out. Similarly, when a child comes to school later throughout the day, they will need to be 'signed in' at the office. This is common practice in most schools these days and helps us fulfil our legal obligations to maintain accurate attendance records.
Discovery Day at MRC
As part of our Transition Program with Mercy Regional College, Year 6 students participated in a Discovery Day at the O'Keeffe Campus today, Monday 28th August.
Homework at St Colman's
We have recently had a few parents ask about our 'no homework' policy at our school. Several years ago the school investigated the efficacy of homework in primary schools and also surveyed the parent group at that time. The school used the evidence from renowned researcher in education, John Hattie, to support their thinking.
“Research by John Hattie, Professor of Education at the University of Melbourne, has found that homework in primary school has an effect of around zero, as students are completing separate and unrelated projects rather than reinforcing learnt knowledge”.
It was decided that at St Colman’s our homework would prioritise the importance of daily home reading. That being said, we have noticed a decline in the number of students who are reading at home daily and who are getting their diary signed by an adult to indicate that they have been listened to when reading.
We are having a school-wide blitz on this and all children who read at home and have their diary signed by an adult will receive a Dojo point as a reward.
Parents that are wanting to provide opportunities to reinforce their child’s learning at home, are encouraged to utilise the Reading Eggs and Mathletics websites (links below).
Login details for your child can be found in their diary.
Weekly Award Winners
Congratulations all students who received an award at our weekly assembly last Friday. Remember, you are all most welcome to join us at the assembly, starting at 2:50 in the Middle classroom.
Term 3 Classroom Information
See attached document highlighting what is happening in our classrooms this term.
Playgroup at St Colman's
We have been delighted by the success of Little Colman's Playtime and we are extremely grateful to Lily Convery-Oborne for her passion and commitment in getting this little initiative up and running. Due to the popularity of this playgroup, we have decided to make this a fortnightly event, and the next session is next FRIDAY 8th September.
The ongoing commitment to this project will require support from other members of the school community. If you are willing to help out by going on a roster to help organise Little Colman’s, please contact either the school or Lily.
WE WILL NEED TO PURCHASE SOME GAMES AND EQUIPMENT FOR OUR PLAYGROUP. HOWEVER, WE WONDERED IF YOU HAD ANY OLD TOYS AND GAMES THAT YOUR CHILDREN HAVE GROWN OUT OF AND THAT YOU NO LONGER NEED. IF SO, WE WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE THE DONATION OF ANY PRE-SCHOOL TOYS AND GAMES, INDOOR OR OUTDOOR, THAT ARE IN EXCELLENT USED CONDITION.
Lunch Orders
LUNCH ORDERS are only available twice a week on Monday and Friday.
St. Colman's Enrolments
Birthday Wishes
Happy Birthday to Leo and Billie whoare celebrating this week.
We wish them, and any other members of our community who are celebrating their birthday this week, a very happy day!
Many blessings to you on your special day and throughout the year.
Footy Tipping
The home and away season is done and dusted so our footy tipping competition is complete.
It turns out that Methodical Flamethrower is not actually a paid up participant in our competition so therefore is not eligible for any prizemoney. Therefore, the winner of our competion, by the narrowest of margins, is Up The Hawks (Mason Barr) 143 wins and a margin of 711 points, just marginally ahead of SmithPies (Noel Smith) on 143 wins and 721 points and third was Stacey Atkins on 143 wins and 731 points. Noah A is the winner of the junior comp on 137 followed by Remy H 2nd on 135 and Steff V 3rd on 134. Prizemoney will be announced and distributed later this week, hopefully!
Entry fee is $20 adults and $10 primary school aged children and is due to be paid NOW.
There are still many people who need to pay so please pop into the office to pay for your entry.
School Advisory Council
We would like to introduce you to our SAC members for 2022-2023. Lily Convery-Oborne (Chair), Jo Wallis, Alison Greig, Michelle Lehmann, Jo Dolling, Zion Palmer, Sophie and Nick Allen, Rachel Baulch, Rosie O’Connor (School rep), Janet Cain (Principal) and Fr. Gary Jones (Parish Rep)
These people are the voice of the parish and parents in the school. If you have any questions or anything that you would like raised please contact one of these people.
The SAC meets twice a term and we thank these people for agreeing to be a part of this group that provides an essential link between the school and its families.
Our next meeting is THIS THURSDAY August 31st at 6:30pm. SAC members will receive their agenda by email tomorrow.
Our Diocesan Community
Please find below the link for the July 2023 edition of “Our Diocesan Community”
St. Colman's School is a Child Safe Community
Child Safety Officers
Janet Cain and Rosie O'Connor are our Child Safety Officers.
Contact them on:
Phone: 55992285 or 0490539167
Email: jcain@scmortlake.catholic.edu.au or roconnor@scmortlake.catholic.edu.au
Standard 11: Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people.
In complying with Child Safe Standard 11, St. Colman's must, at a minimum, ensure:
11.1 Policies and procedures address all Child Safe Standards.
11.2 Policies and procedures are documented and easy to understand.
11.3 Best practice models and stakeholder consultation informs the development of policies and procedures.
11.4 Leaders champion and model compliance with policies and procedures.
11.5 Staff and volunteers understand and implement policies and procedures.
Our Lady of Mercy Parish Newsletter
Out of School Care
A reminder that during 2023 we have access to Out of School Care, supplied by TheirCare, at Mortlake College. Registration is made via the TheirCare website. https://theircare.com.au/
Search for Mortlake College P-12
School Holiday Program at Camperdown
If you are looking for fun, engaging ways to keep your children entertained next school holidays, you may want to consider some of the activites TheirCare are offering in Camperdown. Bookings essential.
NCCD
Please read the attached information sheet for parents regarding NCCD.
Community News
MRC 50th Jubilee Celebrations
Mercy Regional College is celebrating 50 years of Catholic education in our community. If you are a past student you may wish to attend one of the events they have planned.
Jubilee Day
We would love our past students, families and staff to join us in this celebration on Saturday 25 November from 11:30 to 3:30 in Camperdown. School tours, roll calls and displays for each decade, food trucks and music, tree planting, free family portraits, afternoon tea and more. This event is free.
Jubilee Dinner
On Saturday evening (25 November) we will gather for dinner and the presentation of the inaugural Spirit of Mercy Awards, and the Annual Car Raffle. Then you are invited to kick up your heels to the lively music of The People’s Poets.
Click on the link below for more information and to secure your spot!
Parent Event in Warrnambool
Covid Information
As we have had quite a few reported cases of Covid 19 within our community, it is timely to remind ourselves of COVID Safe arrangements. We will be encouraging greater vigilance with our hand washing procedures at school.
Although there are no mandated isolation arrangements, the following is strongly recommended:
It is strongly recommended that students:
● Who test positive for COVID-19 should stay home and isolate for five days.
● Should not attend school after five days if still symptomatic.
● Who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school.
Where students become symptomatic at school, they should:
● Be collected by their parents/carers.
● Undergo testing for COVID-19.
It is strongly recommended that staff:
● Who test positive for COVID-19 should stay home and isolate for five days.
● Should not attend school after five days if still symptomatic.
● Who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school.
If families require RAT kits, please contact the school office.
COVID-19 reporting requirements.
The Department of Health recommends that a person who tests positive for COVID-19 should inform those with whom they have recently been in contact, including their workplace, school and household.
Schools no longer have to alert their school community of positive cases, however we will continue to do this informally.
Face masks.
Staff and students who wish to wear a face mask should be supported to do so, and schools should continue to make face masks available for staff, students and visitors.
The Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who is a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 when leaving home.
Additionally, the department recommends that masks should be worn by a person who has COVID-19 for 10 days after a positive test when they need to leave home.